anime are not cartoon

[The Origonal Head Hunter]

*pulls out Jackal and Cassull* Where is the infidel that says anime are cartoons!?!?!?

[Kitsuner]

*pulls out Jackal and Cassull* Where is the infidel that says anime are cartoons!?!?!?

Um, anime ARE cartoons.

[BasharOfTheAges]

*pulls out Jackal and Cassull* Where is the infidel that says anime are cartoons!?!?!?

Um, anime ARE cartoons.

It's more of an "animation tree" if you would. Here's a nice comparitive Anime : Cartoons :: Pepsi : Coke. Two branches (with subtle diferences) of the same tree, perhaps, but not the same tree.

[SuperFusion]

Isn't anime what the Japanese call their cartoons? There is no tree. Anime is the Japanese word for cartoons. Unless you wanna say 'japanimation'.

[Tenshi K. Tama]

Sometimes it get's hard for me to tell what's anime and what is just a cartoon.Sometimes it's cause they dub it so good to make think it came from America:Switching car scenes so it looks like the drivers side is on the left and that they're on the right side of the road,taking out all the kanji out of a book or sign etc. and put it balnk or write something in english,etc.
Shows like InuYasha,Samorai Champloo,and Bo bobo you can automaticlty(sp?) tell it's japanese.but others like Mew mew Power,IGPX,Cowboy bebop,Shaman king it takes some time.
And then there are ordinary western cartoons you mistake for anime:One Piece,Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi,Teen Titans,SonicX,and others.
My mom always gets mad with me saying:"You are too old to be playing around with some cartoons.",and then when she's refering to some cartoon she says:"Hey, what's that little piglet name on that little cartoon that be coming on?"

I tell you it be making me sooo mad!

[older_gohan]

Around where I live the general attitude is that anime is for kids. Most anything else would be ok but anime is strictly for kids. The worst part is that people wont attempt to watch any because they are convinced that it only for kids. The best part is showing them a anime and having them realize that they would never show it to a kid.

I just had a experience with this recently.

One guy at work thought all anime's were for kids. So i showed him a anime that most anyone would like. 'Cowboy Bebop'

He watched the first two episodes and said two things.

1) He wants to see the rest of the series and wants to see some other anime's as well.

2) He would never show 'Cowboy Bebop' to a kid.

So in general most people will think like that until you prove them wrong.

[oldwrench]

Yes, I have some people ask "are you watching cartoons". I tell them yes I am watching Japanese anime. I wouldn't let it bother me if they think it's wierd, if they haven't tried it they don't know what they are talking about. Often the same people who think anime is stupid kids stuff enjoy movies such as "Dumb and Dumber" or will spend hours watching meaningless sitcoms on TV. One person who told me I was crazy for watching those kid shows later was telling a freind how good "Family Guy" was.
The early animated movies done by Disney were not aimed at only children, they were for adults who were the ones who would see them at theaters. Fantasia and Snow White were a bit intence for children of their time period.
I got into anime about ten years ago, I was skeptical at first but soon found it very impressive. There is everything in anime that you will find in live entertainment, drama, humor, horror, scifi, romance, adventure, you name it it's there. It is just a different way of presenting a story. There are childrens storys but I think the largest amount of anime is focused at teen or older age groups. Many have very mature (not as in sex) storylines, "Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, Lain, Jin Rho," anyone who says these are kids stuff has never seen them.
If your parents tell you you should stop watching and grow up, tell them that I'm a fan and I'm a few years past 50.

[BasharOfTheAges]

Isn't anime what the Japanese call their cartoons? There is no tree. Anime is the Japanese word for cartoons. Unless you wanna say 'japanimation'.

Calling something by a different name would seem to indicate differences (perceived or otherwise), no?

Your argument is essentially "anime = cartoons because they're both animation." Following the same logic, "Pepsi = Coke because they are both Cola soft drinks." That's complete bullshit.

Put more succinctly, they have the same header. If put into a category, they would be in the same folder. If you understand CS principles at all, they are derived from the same base class. (I could go on with different analogies, but I think I've made myself quite clear here)

The fact that they are both animation is all that needs to be said. If you want to delve into traditional artistic differences, common themes (and their complexity), content suitability, range of character development, character depth, depth of plot, etc. there exists plenty of examples to prove enough differences to warrant separate classifications. Granted, in the situations mentioned here, it's worthless to attempt any type of scholarly debate with people so prone to generalize and cling to stereotypes. They simply don't have the capacity to think in the abstract let alone admit their own fallibility.

[Ari-chan]

Sometimes it get's hard for me to tell what's anime and what is just a cartoon.Sometimes it's cause they dub it so good to make think it came from America:Switching car scenes so it looks like the drivers side is on the left and that they're on the right side of the road,taking out all the kanji out of a book or sign etc. and put it balnk or write something in english,etc.
Shows like InuYasha,Samorai Champloo,and Bo bobo you can automaticlty(sp?) tell it's japanese.but others like Mew mew Power,IGPX,Cowboy bebop,Shaman king it takes some time.
And then there are ordinary western cartoons you mistake for anime:One Piece,Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi,Teen Titans,SonicX,and others.
My mom always gets mad with me saying:"You are too old to be playing around with some cartoons.",and then when she's refering to some cartoon she says:"Hey, what's that little piglet name on that little cartoon that be coming on?"

I tell you it be making me sooo mad!

Actually... One Piece and Sonic X ARE anime. They were both produced and made in Japan before ever being released in America.

Anime to me is easily disivered from from the anime-esque American animation. It always seems to have a certain feel to it that makes it easy to find, and theres always the animation style and traits in every anime that completely differ from American Animation.

I can why you would have trouble figuring out which is which though. Ever since anime has become more mainstream and gain popularity here in America, there has been a huge increase in anime-like American Shows such as Teen Titans, Avatar, Totally Spies, and Puffy Ami Yumi. America seems to be cashing in on what they think is the current hype, honestly I don't really care for any of those shows, they just don't strike my interest.


Any, on topic...

For the 8 years I've been an anime fan, I haven't had any big problems when it comes to people accepting me liking anime, probably because I knew kids in my school that did like anime. I'm even president of an anime club in my high school now. Though I do get the occasional "is that Sailor Moon" or "You like those Japanese Cartoons... thats weird"... I usually just tell them "I don't really care what you think, I like what I like" or I respond calmly saying "Actually... Its ________". When it comes to people saying "Japanese cartoons" I don't get mad, since that is what anime is, believe it or not. Anime is the term for Animation, but we tend to use it as a term for "Japanese Animation" instead.

[EmilLang1000]

I think the distinction is this: in America, "cartoon" refers to humorous or "immature" animations like Looney Tunes and Disney shorts (Mickey Mouse, etc.); "Animation," on the other hand, refers to things meritting more sophisticated viewing, mature themes, or works of obviously greater quality (Titan AE, Watership Down, and The Animatrix, for instance).

It's sort of like the difference between "movies" and "films" - "movie" designates something you'd see any time in the theaters, something ordinary; "film," however, has a greater weight to it, and so carries a meaning of being of greater imortance artistically, spiritually, and literarilly.

Years ago, "Anime" referred to a specific group of animated shorts, television shows, and movies: those that came specifically from Japan. In recent years, however, as Anime has become more and more integrated into the popular culture of European and American societies, it's developed into a style, rather than a group. Because of this, you can designate some Animes as "cartoons," and others as "animation;" let's face it, just because it's Anime doesn't mean it's inherrently more sophisticated or mature - look at Magical Do Re Mi or several others. Some are very childish and cartoony, like Super Pig; others shouldn't be viewed by the young or weak of heart/constitution, i.e. Evangelion, and may thus be considered "animation."

Some Animes you can call "cartoons," those that ARE immature and childish by nature; others need to be called "animation," because of their mature nature. To take a shot at my two favorites, I'd call Robotech: the Macross Saga "animation" and Ranma 1/2 a cartoon (Ranma, though hilarious, doesn't really hold much artistic weight, now does it?).